Sometime between dinner with a friend last night and waking up this morning, the back tire on my bike completely deflated. Sure, I know how to fix a flat, but it was early, I was groggy — and I needed to get out the door. Digging out my tire levers, rooting around for a spare tube and fighting with the super-tight bolts on my back wheel wasn't the way I was hoping to start the day.

When you see David Darlington's byline, you know it's going to be good.
A longtime contributor to Bicycling magazine, his heart-wrenching feature on cyclist fatalities earned a prestigious National Magazine Award in 2009. Now, in the June issue, Darlington digs into another important issue: Safe Routes to School.